Manchester City hit with £2million fine for repeated Premier League rule breaches

Manchester City have been slapped with a £2million fine by the Premier League for multiple breaches of kick-off and restart rules.

The reigning Premier League champions, who clinched their fourth consecutive title last season by edging out Arsenal on the final day, were found guilty of delaying the start or restart of matches 22 times over the past two seasons. In a statement, the Premier League said: "The Premier League and Manchester City FC have entered into a sanction agreement after the club accepted it had breached Premier League Rule L.33 relating to kick-off and re-start obligations," adding that "The breaches relate to a number of Premier League matches during the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons."

The statement further explained that "Rules relating to kick-offs and re-starts help ensure the organisation of the competition is set at the highest possible professional standard and provides certainty to fans and participating clubs. It also ensures the broadcast of all 380 League matches around the world is kept to schedule."

A more detailed document revealed that the club admitted to causing delays "without good reason" on 22 occasions. Most of these were delays to second-half restarts, but there were also several instances where the initial kick-off was delayed.

The most significant delay occurred on the final day of last season against West Ham United. After a delay of two minutes and 46 seconds, City went on to secure a 3-1 victory over the London side, thereby sealing the title.

Eight of the offences relate to the 2022-23 season and 14 in the 2023-24. Only one of those matches, a home meeting with Newcastle United in August 2023, saw both the kick-off and the re-start delayed.

City have agreed to resolve the